In honor of Millsey

B

Beerinmydirtcup

Member
Like many others on this board, I unfortunately never got the opportunity to meet Jeff Mills. But every other race fan loves the sport for several reasons. I'm sure one of Jeff's reasons was the love of the people involved.

As a tribute to Jeff, how about we tell some our favorite stories from local race tracks. Whether it be a story of the best race we ever saw, or a funny story from the pits or stands. There are gazillions of them out there.

One of my favorites happened at a race at I-67 not long after it was reconstructed.

Kevin Gundaker and Randy Korte were fighting for the lead in a heat race or dash, I cannot remember the exact race, but Gundaker got the worst of the collision.

When Korte came around after Gundaker exited his car, Kevin grabbed his helmet and threw it at Korte. The throw landed perfectly in the cockpit of Korte's car, as a basketball would swish a hoop. It somehow missed hitting Randy and hurting him.

Randy, who was slowly pacing around the track calmly turned his car to the right and drove to the outside retaining wall where he dropped Kevin's helmet over the side.

I remember laughing hysterically at that incident. It still makes me chuckle.

Bill
 
Tri-City Speedway.....1987..... in the Bomber division there was a brown Ford pick-up #13 ...on the track coming around for the first lap when all of a sudden (right where the scales were last year) there appeared 3 men at the wall with brown paper bags over their heads cheering their driver on. They were doing their own rendition of the Unknown Comic- (from the Gong show)!!! only they were the UNKNOWN MECHANICS. right on the front straight-a-way. Back then you could pit in the infield so the whole crowd got to see!!!!! I laughed so hard I cried!!!!!

beerinmydirtcup!!!! I remember that, too. I was there to see it,TOO funny!!!
 
One of my favorite stories is from the old I-57 Raceway in Benton, IL (now closed). It was around 1980 and a call was made against Jimmy Sloan and he didn't like it so he stoped his car at the start/finish line, Larry Galler told Sloan to get off the track and Sloan refused to move his car. Galler went & got in his push-truck and decided he was going to push Sloan of the track, Sloan fired his car up & him & Galler had a pushing match right there on the front stretch! It was and to this day still is one of the funniest thing I ever saw at a track, a push-truck & a Late Model/Sportsman nose to nose burning the tires off.....LOL. Galler wasn't successful on getting Sloan to move, but he was successful at kicking Sloan out for a few weeks...LOL.

Thanks to Jimmy Sloan & Larry Galler for the memories!
 
I recall one year at Pevely, Ed Dixon and Terry English put on a side by side show during the Summernationals race. Dixon's motor let go on the front stretch, but he never lifted. A caution came out a lap later, and when Dixon pulled up in 3 for the line-up, his engine puked everything out the pan. To this very day, it sticks in my memory as some of the best side by side racing that I had ever seen.
 
I'm certain the best stories TTG has are NOT meant for posting on a family forum. Much like some of the stories we heard at Jeff Mills' memorial service.
 
Hey Bill and Dave, do you remember the time when Brian Wernle of Greenville gave the "Your #1 to Kurt Werhle" back in the S.A.R.A days??? Then he wasnt allowed back rest of the year!!!! That was classical!!!! Or the time that Brian grenaded a motor coming out of 4 and it went up in flames at Highland in the 7 car??

Nic
 
how about mike wallace at I-55 the first year i think it was of the M&M's night of stars when he slammed into the wall in 1&2 flipped and then kept on racing
 
I remember all of those instances. I wonder how many birds have flown at local racing facilities.

One instance that the Wallace flip always reminds me of happened at Godfrey before it was reconstructed.

Before UMP modifieds got big, Godfrey ran without concrete or wooden barriers in turns one and two, only a burm of dirt kept drivers from driving over the wall.

One IMCA modified got too high on the track (a black number 7 without many sponsors, for the life of me I don't remember the driver), drove over the enbankment got a little airborne and went over.

The banking on the behind the track was quite a steep grade, probably more so than Daytona or Bristol, and the pit area wasn't too far off the hill.

After he drove over, the red lights went on and the race was stopped. All the drivers stopped. Until they realized the car that wrecked had driven back onto the track via the back straightaway entrance.

Somehow his car went unhurt.

Bill
 
One Rememberable Time For Me Was At Belle - Clair Back In I Guess The Last 80's. Eddie Dixon Had His White Aara Mod. It May Have Been The One Called Whizmo Not Sure. He Had A Problem With The Left Front. It Ws Dangling By Little Of Nothing. He Pulled In Under Caution And The Crew Took The Whole Left Front Off And He Pulled Back Out Wanting To Race It On Three Wheels. I Was Wishing They'd Let Him. But, Of Course They Wouldn't. I Think He Could Have Done It And Passed Cars. Proof Being What He Did At Granite A Couple Years Ago. Running A Race With The Left Front Broke And Shoved Up Under The Car.

Another Fond Memory Was From Belleville In I Believe 2000. When Donnie Klein Won The Feature. It Was His 1st Feature Win In Like 8 Years. If Memory Serves Me Correct. I Used To Be A Really Big Dandy Don Fan When I Was A Kid So That Was Cool For Me. Another Thing That Made It Cool Was, He Did It Battling With The Hammerdog For The Majority Of The Race. Mike Tired All He Could To Get Around Donnie, But Couldn't Pull It Off. The Way They Rubbed And Raced Was Like A Flash Back From 15-20 Years Prior. What I Wouldn't Give For A Video Of All The Races I've Seen In The Last 30 Years.
 
Dixon Holds off Moyer to Win $10,000 Bud SummerNationals

Pevely, Mo. (July 1) -- Ed Dixon, the reigning track and national champion, held off the best of the touring late model drivers in the midwest to win the $10,000 first prize in the Bud UMP SummerNationals at I-55 Raceway.
that was the most ex race i ever seen when dixon passed moyer on the last, lap last turn pulling a "man i wish they had replay " slide job
 
sean2 said:
One of my favorite stories is from the old I-57 Raceway in Benton, IL (now closed). It was around 1980 and a call was made against Jimmy Sloan and he didn't like it so he stoped his car at the start/finish line, Larry Galler told Sloan to get off the track and Sloan refused to move his car. Galler went & got in his push-truck and decided he was going to push Sloan of the track, Sloan fired his car up & him & Galler had a pushing match right there on the front stretch! It was and to this day still is one of the funniest thing I ever saw at a track, a push-truck & a Late Model/Sportsman nose to nose burning the tires off.....LOL. Galler wasn't successful on getting Sloan to move, but he was successful at kicking Sloan out for a few weeks...LOL.

Thanks to Jimmy Sloan & Larry Galler for the memories!
Click to expand...

Man ive heard this story a hundred times,just wish i could have seen it in person.Here's to ya jimmy,i dont know who's standing next to your car.

One of my favorites was the hammerman just rolling his car back over after flipping and finishing the race at mt.vern.
Also one night at the vern maybee 8/9 years back in the bombers,someone(cant remember who)was black flagged and told to leave the track,they just kept running round the track,rick had to chase him with the golf cart and the trucks,would try to block him in and he just kept dodging them.
 

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